Game #43Habs Lose Game, Top Playoff Performer

Details

Date: 12/01/2012
Opponent: Bruins
Location: Boston

Loss: 1-2

Habs Goalie: Price (L)
Opposition Goalie: Thomas (W)

Habs goalscorers: Weber
Opposition goalscorers: Caron, Lucic

Play of the game

It has to be our goal, the one by the player that has said he is better than other defencemen on this team. The goal was a screen shot on a PP, not much to it, but a goal against Thomas is always welcomed. He is right, though, he is better than a few of our D. What Yannick fails to mention, however, is that he isn't that great himself. We would hope that goals like this would come more often - will they?

Dome hockey team

The 6 players we're playing in a no changes, do or die contest in the dome

Forwards

Tomas Plekanec
I think Tom cares and I think that he likes the Habs. Didn't see too much of that tonight, but didn't see anything much better from the rest. He won 1/3 of the games face-offs, 76% of his. Can a change of linemates get him going? Something has to.

Erik Cole
Our best player, even not at his best, is still our best player. He tried hard to score at times and wants to win, you can see that much on his face. With Pacioretty firing blanks and a new player coming (and the fact that we lose most of the time) one may look elsewhere for linemates for the big winger - could he and Gomez work?

Mike Blunden
Nothing against Blunden as I like him, but isn't a bit sad that he is in here? Against the league's best you would hope that someone other than your worst player could crack the dome. He was in it tonight, though and for that I am giving him credit. His five hits stood out the most for me.

Defencemen

Hal Gill
This wasn't a great game for Emelin, Gorges nor Subban, so, the door is opened. Gill got more minutes tonight and took a step back in the right direction with his defensive play, particularly the play on the PK. I am not sure if he has a place on this team anymore, but, to tell you the truth, I am having a hard time figuring out who really does these days anyway.

Yannick Weber
It says something when your 8th defenceman can step in and make the dome and score the team's only goal. It tells us that what Cammalleri and Weber himself were saying is pretty bang on. I think that Weber has a long way to go to earn a regular spot, but with Campoli, Gill and Kaberle ahead of him let's just say that the door is open and that the chance is his to take.

Goaltender

Carey Price - Game Puck
Price didn't look too sharp tonight, but was still far and away our best player. I question whether he had to wander on the first goal. I have never been huge on playing the puck at every opportunity, but if I was to be my most hesitant it would be when the game was tight and we were on the road in an arena with unfamiliar bounces. The second goal was a bad play from Plekanec and Gorges. Thomas would have been lucky and made the save, Price got unlucky and it went in.

Comments

There were two parts to this game, the game itself and the trade. As for the game we went down, on the road, to a very good team. It was unlucky, yes, but we didn't do much throughout to change that luck. The most upsetting thing, however, is that Boston didn't play that well. Beyond that bad bounce we tied them and that is despite very, very pathetic refereeing (making up for the Marchand suspension?)

The second part of the game started when it was noticed, early in the third, that Camms wasn't on the ice nor the bench. Unless you are Gionta or Gomez this generally means that you aren't hurt again, but that you have been traded. In the end we picked up a worse version of what Cammalleri was and should be. Bourque, however, can't be too much worse than Mike had been this year. We also got an upgrade in the prospect department and the draft pick department. All this and salary was shed. But, will Bourque become a problem and will that salary tie our hands? I can't say no, although many people thought that our hands were tied with Camms and now, miraculously, they aren't. I can't help but be upset, however, about the fact that we just lost our best playoff performer (non-Halak) of the past three years. He was money in the post-season and, for me, it is worth the regular season that he is having to hold on to that. When our team changed directions in 2009 I was most happy with the Cammalleri signing. To me, this was the biggest name player that we had brought in since Kovalev. The biggest out-of-town star that we made a move for since the lock-out. There was promise and after four playoff series and an electrifying Centennial game I knew that we had a big-game player. I am sad to see him go as I don't care if a player is selfish, has an ego or is soft in his own end when he can score. He hadn't been scoring lately, but I always believed that he would again. After all, you can't teach what we just lost.